


RESET

by Sleepycreator



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-31
Updated: 2016-01-07
Packaged: 2018-05-10 18:10:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 14,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5595841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sleepycreator/pseuds/Sleepycreator
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Things had been well in the underground. Frisk had broken the barrier, made the monsters friends, family. There was finally, at long last, peace. That was until they reset. Again, and again, and again. Sans is now determined to put a stop to it, once and for all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, all! Kris here! some of you might have seen this one over on fanfiction before, but in case you havent, welcome! hope you enjoy! chapters will be updated constantly, and i'll leave you in suspense very often. Enjoy! reviews help, a lot!

It had been a day like every other in the underground, or the latest reset of the underground, anyway. Birds were singing, flowers were blooming…

And sans had a really, really bad feeling about this.

Asleep in his room as always, his garbage tornado whirring peacefully in the background of his thoughts, he winced as a familiar phantom pain began to throb on his rib cage.

It was coming. The human. And this time? Sans knew it wasn't going to be pretty. The resets had come to him to strangely at first, so nerve wracking, so jarring, he felt sick each time he awoke anew in Snowdin, his head spinning, his heart drumming, wanting nothing more than to throw up his nonexistent guts on the carpet Papyrus so dutifully cleaned every morning.

But somehow, eventually, it got easier. And easier. Sans began to notice a pattern, and on some days, that pattern was strayed from. At first, he had become wary of humans. Ever since Asriel, humans were a touchy subject in the underground, and sometimes, even a mention of one caused hackles to rise, and fur to puff. However, the many monsters of his world seemed to relax after a long while, and a human wasn't seen for the next five or so years.

That was until, _They_ came.

It all had happened so fast. Laughing at his jokes, clinging to Toriel like their life depended on it, finding a new purpose, determination, breaking the barrier, the sun, the stars… at long last, _peace._

He figured all was well. His little brother was laughing and running through the surface with Undyne, training every day, getting stronger, living the life he always deserved, the life that Sans couldn't have ever given him without the human's assistance. Frisk as they were called, seemed happy as well. They lived with Toriel, went to school, and had Sans and the others as their most trusted friends. Family.

Nothing had fucked him up worse than the very first reset. He awoke to his familiar ratty couch in Snowdin, with Papyrus nagging about his socks on the floor, and the next minute he was screaming, sobbing, tearing at his chest and begging it to be real, to be anywhere but back here, and after hours of his worried brother consoling him, he had begun to feel something manifest in his soul that wasn't laziness for the first time in years. He had begun to feel hatred. Hatred for the fact that they were still stuck here, hatred for the fact that his brother had no recollection of the past timeline, and hatred for humans in general. Not just all humans, one human in particular.

_"_ _You had what you wanted…" he had snarled at the broken mirror in their bathroom, that Papyrus had shattered during one of his and Undynes "training exercises". "You had all of us… a home… a family… the barrier was broken… we gave you everything…" His eye began to blaze a bright blue. "So why weren't you satisfied? Why are we back here again?" He sent a blue bone flying until a massive hole was created in the wall, and he vowed that if he ever saw that human again, they would have a very, VERY bad time…_

That of course, didn't last long. The second reset, things played out differently than he ever could have imagined. Awaiting the human's arrival at his usual spot, his eyes went wide as the air begun to feel different around him. Trusting his better judgment, with a zap he teleported to a higher vantage point, and watched in horror as Frisk- or whatever that freak was going by now- cut down a helpless vegetoid with a few well aimed slices of a knife, and a toothy, murderous grin shinning beneath their bangs. He felt his heart stop as he glanced over in horror at his brother marching down the monster's current path, his eyes glowing in pride over his latest trap.

Watching Papyrus die later on for the first time was the worst experience of his life. The way he still offered that… _Thing_ mercy, even after they were the last creature to deserve it, it caused his heart to break. As the rampaging human had finally subsided, and Sans managed to get to where his brother was, it had been too late. He clutched the familiar red scarf close, and screamed, screamed and begged, and pounded with his fists upon the snow. They would pay, he vowed. They would pay.

Twenty or so resets later, Sans was tired.

He knew pretty much every outcome, and his laziness was due to a lot more than just apathy. He was terrified to live. Terrified to have to face another round of uncertainty, another round of playing guessing games. Mercy? Slaughter? It was different each time. This human, this Frisk… was toying with this world. Turning everyone's lives upside down each time they became bored, and for the sake of his brother, it took all he had not to cut down the human where they stood each time he met them at first.

The thirty first reset, and Sans was finished. Sick, and tired. He sat awake in his bed, and heard the sounds of Papyrus cooking downstairs. He narrowed his eye sockets, and a hateful grin spread across his face. This stopped here. He watched his brother nag and fuss over him as he lay on the couch when he finally decided to join him, and inside his soul, he felt himself grow with determination. Papyrus always complained about his being nothing but a lazy-bones...

Boy, was he about to be wrong yet.


	2. Chapter two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I figured id upload all the current chapters to date. This work is still in progress!

With a start, he realized he didn't have much time. The human would be arriving soon, and he made a promise to himself that he would never have to witness the dust of the fallen being carried off by the wind ever again. Without even warning Papyrus, his magic came to life, and he was gone.

He found himself outside the throne room, and he pushed the doors open at once with a sigh, praying that Asgore would have enough sense for once to trust him, to listen to him. He was the final judge, after all... however, this wasn't going to be easy.

But then again, who said he ever had it easy?

The process of convincing their king that an imminent threat was headed their way was a struggle from the start. He wanted proof, He wanted reasoning, and he wanted his citizens to stay put, to not panic, if Sans was even telling the truth at all. Sans had grunted, and explained that if the king wanted proof, he'd have it when half of his kingdom began to disappear.

Asgore, being more of a pushover than anything else, eventually relented, but promised that if Sans was lying, there would be consequences to pay. Sans agreed to these terms at once, and evacuations soon began. The goat-king received the proof he was looking for when the human child finally entered the underground, and a hysterical Froggit who had barely escaped with his life claimed that the human was out… out to kill. Out for blood. Sans knew at once they didn't have much time. Luckily, being a step ahead, he watched calmly as everyone he knew and loved retreated far away from their towns, and toward a safer designated location Alphys had helped arrange. The safer bunkers and corridors below her lab. His close friends were still around, ensuring all got to safety.

He was jolted from his thoughts as a lanky arm scooped him up around the middle, and a voice that could shatter glass rang in his ears.

"BROTHER!" Papyrus yelled. "WE MUST JOIN THE OTHERS AT ONCE! I PACKED WHAT WE NEEDED FOR THE JOURNEY! IT ISNT SAFE HERE, LET US GO!"

Sans felt panic rise inside him. No. No more running. He fought the human before, and he'd do it again. He knew very well what their knife cutting through his bones felt like, and even though the human gloated that they knew all about Sans and his attacks, learning him like a book, he had been doing the same. With a calm realization, he knew it was time. This was something he had to do. Asgore wouldn't have a problem handing this task over, as nobody had the courage to face this threat, except for his brother and Undyne, but from unpleasant experience, he knew it would never work.

The people in question soon came over the hill, Asgore walking beside Undyne, and helping the smaller monster children along with a false sense of calm about them that would help the citizens through. Sans squirmed out of his brother's grasp at once, and slowly made his way toward the king.

"Asgore." He murmured, and the tall goat looked upon him with worry.

"Yes, Sans?"

"I want you, Undyne, and Pap to finish this without me. If anyone's gonna slow that freak down, it's gonna be me."

Undyne sent a spear flying into the ground beside her with a sudden bout of rage.

"What!?" she screamed "Are you out of your fucking mind!?"

Papyrus too, was outraged, and gawked at Sans with disbelief.

"BROTHER, I CANNOT ALLOW THAT! YOU WILL JOIN US AND THE OTHERS WITH THE EVACUATION. UNDYNE AND I WILL FACE THE HUMAN IF THE NEED ARISES"

"No!" Sans shouted, which was almost unheard of for him, as everyone stopped and looked his way. "You can't. You don't understand. The amount of determination this thing has is ridiculous. It won't stop… it'll keep coming back. I don't care if you believe me or not. It's nothing but a monster. You won't beat it… You _can't_ beat it."

"Can't is a strong work, small fry!" Undyne retorted, her gills flaring in rage. "Watch me!"

"Perhaps you should heed his warning…" Asgore suddenly murmured, his eyes filled with concern. "He was right about the human arriving with malicious intent. I'm not sure how, Sans, but you seem to know more than us all."

"It's not a blessing… just a curse…" he whispered in response, and Undyne was shouting once more.

"So what, you expect us all to just sit back and watch while you get killed by that beast!?" Papyrus was looking like he was about to cry. "Sorry bub, but that's not how a friend of mine is gonna go out!"

"Then what?" Sans suddenly snapped. "Say it gets through me, then what? Are you gonna stand there and let it get to you too? You have a full city of monsters out there, Undyne… All looking for their royal guard. It's your job to keep them safe, and if I can't keep this kid from heading your way, you're gonna be their last hope. Don't you get that?"

"YOU AREN'T GOING!" Papyrus seemed to whisper. "THIS ISN'T FAIR. I CAN'T LOSE MY BIG BROTHER YET… PLEASE, SANS… RECONSIDER. I REFUSE TO LET YOU DO THIS ALONE. THIS RESPONSIBILITY SHOULD NOT FALL ON YOUR SHOULDERS ALONE."

Sans smiled sadly.

"I wish I could say you were right, Pap… but I'll be fine… I have a plan. I can do this. Remember what you always say? Go get up, get something done? Stop being so sleepy and lazy?"

Papryus's eyes welled up with big, orange tears.

"PLEASE… SANS…YOU DON'T TRAIN ENOUGH! ALL YOU DO IS SIT ABOUT AND BOONDOGGLE! YOU ARE WEAK AND LAZY, AND I HAVE TO BE THERE TO KEEP YOU SAFE! IT IS MY DUTY! THE HUMAN WILL DESTROY YOU!"

Sans couldn't help but smile sadly at his brother's ignorance. Of course Papyrus thought he couldn't take care of himself. He hadn't ever fought in front of him before, and with only one HP, he would have believed himself to be easily defeated, too. Papyrus's over protectiveness, paired with how much he cared for him, caused this to hurt Sans even further. He struggled with his next sentence.

"Trust me here, bro… go help out Undyne. She's gonna need it to not suplex anyone…"

Papyrus knew there was no stopping his brother, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to try.

"SANS, THIS IS FOR YOUR OWN GOOD…" with a sudden lunge, he grabbed his brother around the torso, and held him close to try to prevent his squirming. Sans let his eyes fall closed, and sighed.

"I'm sorry, Paps…"

He at once summoned his magic, then, with a zap, Papyrus's arms were empty, and Sans was gone. The lankier skeleton cried out in surprise, always forgetting about his brother's teleportation abilities. Undyne had shouted and cursed, but proceeded on with the smaller monster's plan, having Alphys get the surveillance cameras going so that she, and the rest of the underground, could observe, and cheer on Sans's progress.


	3. Chapter three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The idea of finally reaching this fight scene... it fills you with determination.

A few hours later, the underground was lifeless and still, and the skeleton in question stood alone in the judgment hall that he had so many times stood in before.

He really, really hated this part.

Of all the possible outcomes of his lifetime, the many different options of this world, throughout each reset, nothing seemed to tear him apart more than when he stood here, his eye sockets sporting a dim white glow as his pupils got smaller in anticipation, and his heart began to race.

Sweat began forming on his skull as he heard those all-too familiar pattering steps making their way through the ancient building, towards the throne room. Towards the place where Asgore would normally reside. Towards him. He felt a rage beginning to build up inside of him. Somehow, it was different this time around. He began to feel calm. Determined. The sweat began to dissipate. He was ready.

This ended, now.

The human stepped into the light, red ribbon shining, and knife in hand, it's sharp blade gleaming against the sunlight filtering into the hall. The minute they saw Sans, they smiled.

To their surprise however, Sans smiled right back.

**_"Where?"_** they signed, before making a throat cutting motion with their hand. Sans stuffed his hands in his pockets, and shrugged.

"I wouldn't worry too much about that, kid… this one's between you and me. Much to your displeasure, it's gonna be the _last_ one, too."

**_"Dont be so sure..."_** they signed right back, a sick chuckle bubbling up from their throat. Sans watched them calmly, and stood taller, snapping his fingers as his right eye began to glow, and his gaster blasters stood at the ready.

"Then let's go, dirty brother killer..."

* * *

Undyne had her hands on either side of Alphys's desk, gripping the wood so hard it was beginning to splinter.

"T-This is crazy!" Alphys cried. "What are is s-stats? Does anyone know?"

"LOW…." Papyrus piped. "TOO LOW…"

"How low are we speaking?" Asgore inquired. "Perhaps he has a fighting chance yet"

"HE ALMOST DIED WHEN HE ACCIDENTALLY FELL DOWN A FLIGHT OF STAIRS IN OUR HOME." Papryus cried helplessly, and Undyne screamed in anger.

"This aint good…" she muttered, watching the screen intently.

* * *

The battle had officially begun. The human screamed in frustration as Sans dodged attack after attack. He stood back as the human was engulfed in blue, and sent flying across the judgment hall, before they were thrown into a pillar with a sickening crack.

"I can't understand for the life of me why you do this, buddy…" he said with hatred. "You aren't going to win. We're gonna stand here forever… no matter what happens…"

The human began laughing again, their knife held high as they charged him. Sans made a hasty dodge, which resulted in his hoodie getting torn, but luckily, not him. He gasped in surprise, his eye sockets growing wider in worry as the red-eyed demon smirked at their sudden progress. Damn. They were getting better… and the fight hadn't even lasted that long.

"I'll give ya that one, pal…." He said with a huff, suddenly teleporting behind them, and sending a blue bone straight into their back as they screamed in pain. "But don't get used to it…."

The human sped away from him, trying to catch their breath, but Sans wasn't going to show mercy this time around. A gaster blaster let out a sudden explosion of energy, and they got knocked back even further, their HP getting lower, and lower.

**_"Not yet..."_** The evil human signed with a twisted grin, and as Sans hit them for the last time, their soul shattered, and they collapsed to the ground. He heaved a sigh of relief, but knew this was far from over. He had quickly found out through his further research long ago that they had to power to LOAD, and Sans knew that if he didn't destroy them for the last time soon, he would be in real big trouble.

Sure enough, from just outside the judgment hall, a loud and evil laughter was heard. Undyne and the others were still screaming about what they were minutes ago, unaware of the current set back in the timeline. Sans however, knew all about this. This was going to take everything he had. Though he was certain before the fight started that this was going to be it… now? He wasn't so sure.

**_"Hopeless..."_** The kid signed once more as they came into view, knife resting heavily in their hand, and a smile on their face. Sans felt more determined than he had in years, and returned that same smile again as his magic came to life.

"That all you got?" They charged forward, knife at the ready, and he grabbed them at once with his blue energy, throwing them with such force, he was surprised their HP wasn't down to nothing already. "I could do this all day…"

The human began to laugh, quickly maneuvering until they were right beside him. Sans dodged one swipe, flipped away from another, and slid far from the last. They let out a scream of frustration as their knife missed it's target, and collided with a pillar, a piece chipping off. They turned around, looking at the knife before turning their hateful gaze back to him.

He wondered what the purpose of all this was. The monster was just going to RESET again, so why were they putting so much into this fight? did they really like toying with everyone that much? He gasped as the human's blade missed his skull by inches, and he slid under the approaching blade, skidding sloppily across the floor before teleporting to safety. That was close. Too close.

He had to focus. He couldn't afford to give up yet. He teleported to a higher ledge in the hall, sending his gaster blasters down to try to stop the threat. The human let out another cackle, destroying all four effortlessly, and grabbing a hold of Sans's ankle, trying to sink their knife into his leg. He snarled, using his height to his advantage, and throwing himself onto the human. They went tumbling down toward the ground below, and Sans made sure they landed below him with a loud crack. He fell away from their lifeless body, breathing heavily, his eye blazing, and fear in his stare. The unmistakable sound of their soul shattering was soon accompanied by the golden light of a LOAD, and the same menacing footsteps outside the hall were bound to drive him mad.

The cycle continued. The fight kept going, and going, and going. Hours upon hours for Sans had passed, but with each LOAD, he noticed the human had been getting more and more frustrated. They were downright ruthless the next few times around, not even bothering to sign anymore threats, simply speeding across the hall toward the smaller skeleton with LV in their eyes, and a soul out for downright murder.

Sans knew he couldn't keep this up much longer either, though. He was tired, oh so tired, and if the fate of his brother and all he loved wasn't resting on his back right now, he'd be more than content to snooze, and head on over to Grillby's once the human had taken his life. He breathed heavily; sweat forming on his skull as they readied their next attack.

"Come on, kid…" he smirked, even though he was swaying. "Let's get this over with…" They smiled with something that wasn't a normal equivalent to joy at all, and Sans knew exactly what they were going for next.


	4. Chapter four

* * *

 

Papyrus and the others watched in horror.

"He's so tired…" Alphys whimpered. "He can't stand much more of this…"

"He's gonna have to!" Undyne yelled, slamming her hand on the desk. "Come on, Sans! Kick that thing's ass!" she too, had been appalled by how much power the lazy monster possessed. No wonder the little guy ever bothered to train. He could annihilate anyone who messed with him, though; he was a pacifist by nature.

"COME ON, BROTHER!" Papyrus yelled, as if Sans could hear him. "I KNOW YOU CAN DO IT!"

* * *

They brought up the menu to RESET, QUIT, or LOAD, and their hand hovered above the last option. Sans took this opportunity to execute his plan, and a hidden, well-aimed gaster blaster shattered the whole panel with an explosion of light. The human screamed in shock, tumbling back, and watching in horror as their option was taken from them.

"You think I'd let you keep up with this?" he asked, stepping forward, his magic blazing inside of him. "Let you ruin everyone's lives… let you tear me and my family apart?"

The human sloppily tried to throw frantic attacks as a last minute defense against the smaller skeleton as he drew closer and closer. Sans narrowed his eye sockets.

"I'm sick and tired of you." He stated angrily. "I'm done waking up to it all being a good dream, or a terrible nightmare. You can't hurt my friends anymore. You _won't"_ The human jumped up, and began to run, but they screamed as they were raised in the air, and twisted with Sans's magic. He sighed heavily.

They struggled and yelled in rage, and his grip got tighter as he sent them slamming into the pillars, each hit draining more and more HP.

"I didn't want to have to do this, kid. I didn't want to break my promise. You know that I didn't. You were cool. Real cool. You made Pap happier than I've ever seen him. You made Undyne _smile_ …. But I guess you're like all the others…" the human locked eyes with him. "Too good to be true."

With a decisive final blow, Sans summoned all of his might, and drew bones in from all sides. They screamed in agony as their HP began dropping, quick. When they had less than one point left, Sans slammed them down to the ground, and he approached them slowly. They looked up at him with hatred, and defeat.

"After this, you won't be able to come back…. But just know that you did this to yourself, bucko… you had your chance… hope this doesn't bore you into another RESET…"

All of a sudden, sans plunged his hand inside the human's body, and took a hold of their soul by force. They gasped and cried out, and as a shattering sound was heard, Sans destroyed the pieces completely with a surge of blue magic in his hands. There would be nothing left of them that _could_ LOAD or RESET. They were destroyed, as well as their save file. The human collapsed, and their body lay motionless on the floor of the hall.

Sans gazed down at it with disbelief, waiting for it to get up, to disappear, or to RESET again, but it didn't. It was over. Finally, at long last, over. He suddenly felt his exhaustion catch up to him, and the way he over exerted himself caused his vision to start swimming. He fell to his knees, and his pupils went dark as he slumped to the ground. If he hadn't died in this fight, he had come pretty close, and as he felt his consciousness slipping away, he couldn't believe he had done it.

* * *

"P-please, Papyrus… I-I'm trying everything I c-can… we have to b-be patient…. The human did a n-number on him…" Sans felt like he was underwater. His head was pounding, his vision was black, and he felt his whole world spinning. He was aware of many different voices at once, the most prominent one sporting a stutter… stutter… Alphys… He tried to pick out the others. Anger, shouting… Undyne. A voice that could cause deaf monsters to suffer further hearing loss… his little brother… Papyrus.

He let out a soft groan, trying to get his eyes working again. He realized he was laying down on something, and that he was alone in a small room. The voices were coming from beyond the door. He forced himself, with effort, to sit up, and he breathed a sigh of relief. The events of the battle came rushing back. He'd done it. He'd won. The nightmare was finally over, but his memories seemed a little fuzzy, along with the rest of him. How long had he been out?

"THERE MUST BE MORE YOU CAN ATTEMPT!" Papyrus yelled. "WHY HASN'T HE AWOKEN YET? PERHAPS THE GREAT PAPYRUS NEEDS TO REMIND HIM HE HAS VERY WORRIED FRIENDS?"

"Papyrus, shaking him isn't gonna solve anything. Don't be so impatient." Undyne scolded, but Sans winced as she screamed at the door. "Hurry up and get out of bed!"

"OH, SO UNDYNE IS ALLOWED TO SHOUT, BUT I CANNOT SHAKE HIM?"

Sans laughed to himself and rolled his eyes. Despite his current condition, he was feeling better than he had in a long time. With some effort, he made his way towards the door, and threw it open with a smirk.

"Man, I take a nap for only a few minutes, and you guys lose your minds?"

There was a collective gasp of shock and relief in the room as the others caught sight of him. Asgore looked a lot older than usual. Undyne smiled, and Alphys heaved a relieved sigh, knowing the pressure was finally off of her.

A random monster piped up from the crowd.

"Way to go, Sans!"

At once, there was an explosion of cheers.

Sans let a tired, but genuine grin slip across his face, and stuffed his hands in his pockets. A face near the others took sight of the smaller skeleton, and lit up like a Christmas tree.

"SANS!" Papyrus closed the distance between himself and his brother in seconds, and scooped the smaller skeleton up into a bear hug, his eye sockets filling up once more. "BROTHER, I AM SO GLAD YOU ARE ALRIGHT…."

Sans closed his eyes and smiled as Papyrus rested his skull against his. He returned the hold as best he could, not caring that it was kind of hard to move.

"Told ya there was nothing to worry about, bro." he answered simply, and Papyrus sniffled a little.

"NEXT TIME, LISTEN TO ME. YOU COULD HAVE DIED. I MUCH RATHER PREFER A LAZY BONES!" Undyne smiled at them, and Alphys smiled up at her.

"Whatever you say, Paps." Sans replied, so happy that it was finally over. Papyrus held him for a few more minutes, trying to stop his crying, before he gave him one last squeeze and gently put him down, keeping a gloved hand on his shoulder. Asgore stepped forward.

"On behalf of the kingdom, Sans… we thank you." He smiled at the smaller monster. "You've saved us all."

"OF COURSE HE HAS!" Papyrus shouted. "HE'S MY BROTHER! GREATNESS RUNS IN THE FAMILY!"

Undyne rolled her eyes, and Alphys and Torriel began to escort the citizens of the underground back to the surface slowly, helping them to safely re-settle back into their homes.

Later on that day, when Sans had finally finished being thanked by everyone, and congratulated by the king, he made it home. Once Papyrus had stopped fussing over him, he read his brother a bed time story, and made sure he was asleep in his race car bed before teleporting to the roof of their house. His favorite spot to relax, and be alone. It had been the longest day of his life, and knowing his past, that was saying a lot. He wasn't alone for long however, as he soon heard a familiar nervous monster skittering toward their front door.

"U-uh… their lights are o-out… wh-what if they're asleep? I-I'll just go home…"

"Looking for me?" Sans answered with a smirk, and Alphys jumped ten feet in surprise.

"S-Sans! What are you doing up there!?" she squawked, and Sans shrugged.

"Dunno, honestly. Helps me relax. What's goin on?"

Alphys hesitated for a moment.

"C-could I join you? I wanted to talk."

Sans nodded, and patted the spot next to him before using his magic to gently lift her into the air. She squeaked in surprise, but once she was safely put down, she seemed to relax a little.

"Lay it on me." He began, inviting her to speak.

"Why did you do it? How?" Alphys dove right in, not bothering to soften her words.

"I had to."

"Y-you fought like you knew that thing inside and out…."

"Maybe I did."

"But-"

"You wouldn't understand. No one would."

Alphys paused, twitching in the awkward silence.

"I t-trust your judgment, Sans…"

"Tell me why you're really out here."

She summoned her courage.

"You had it! You had the chance, S-Sans… the last human soul we needed… we could have e-escaped… seen the sun… the s-stars… we could have been _f-free….._ but you destroyed it… v-vaporized it, even… now there's no going back… I just… d-don't get it…"

Sans felt the light in his pupils darken as he gazed down at the snow below them.

"The surface isn't the kind of place we want to be. Not with creatures like _that_ inhabiting it. Alphys gazed at him helplessly.

"B-but we wouldn't have known unless we t-took the chance! S-some monsters would have given anything j-just to risk it… anything b-but this…"

"I've watched my brother die more times than I can even count. I've watched you and Undyne get slaughtered. I would rather spend eternity down here with my own kind, everyone safe, and protected, than run the risk of losing it all, and not being able to RESET…"

Alphys's eyes went wide. She had helped Sans with his research, before. She knew what he was talking about, and at once, she knew why he had collapsed after that battle.

"I-I…. I don't…"

"Let sleeping monsters lie, Alphys… it's taken care of… and I don't ever, ever want to go back to it."

Alphys nodded solemnly. She didn't ask him anymore questions.

"T-thank you, Sans…" she hesitated. "You've filled everyone with hope…"

Sans chuckled bitterly.

"And then I took it away, huh?"

She looked in his direction.

"For what it's worth…. If a-all humans were l-like F-Frisk… I-I'm not sure I w-want to see the s-surface anymore, e-either…"

Sans sat quietly until she spoke again.

"G-get some r-rest… I want you back at t-the lab tomorrow afternoon for a checkup… j-just to be safe…"

She was engulfed in his blue magic, and lowered back to the ground below. She plopped down gently, and spun around to wave goodbye, but he was already gone.

Sans stood in his lab below, scribbling everything that had happened down into his notebook. He paused, feeling a chill creep up his spine. All was quiet, Papyrus was in his bed and snoring above, and Sans had a really, really bad feeling about this…

**_Oh no…_ **


	5. Chapter five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, hopefully 2016 will be a lot kinder to me than this past year, which was the worst of my life. Just imagine me at my computer, lazily throwing confetti into the air. Happy new year, guys! thanks for the support, and I hope you enjoy this chapter! Pap is a precious cinnamon roll, thats all im gonna say.

He felt his heart stop at the familiar feeling. This couldn't be. There was no way in hell… He had destroyed the kid, completely. He had vaporized their _soul_ for crying out loud! Still, there was no denying that the space around him had gotten colder, and it was as if a pair of eyes were watching his every move. This wasn't real… this was a nightmare. This had to be a terrible, awful nightmare he couldn't wake himself up from… Could his mind even take it if it wasn't? He suddenly felt a chill go up his spine, and his pupils narrowed. He gasped, and his left eye blazed blue as he sent a bone flying directly behind him, to his right. Beakers and other assorted objects shattered and crashed. When he spun around, fists clenched, chest heaving, he felt his whole world spin as he realized there was no one there. He could have fucking _sworn…_

"SANS?" a familiar sleepy voice called from just above. Shit. He'd forgotten about how close his lab was to where the bedrooms were positioned two floors above, and the walls weren't exactly soundproof. He'd waken Papyrus with his racket. He buried his face in his hands. This was just what he needed…

Thinking fast, he teleported to his room, and dove for the safety of his mattress just as his little brother began pounding on the door. He let out a silent sigh of relief, thanking whoever he could think of that it was always locked. He couldn't have ever pulled off half of his fables and lies to Papyrus if it wasn't.

"BROTHER? ARE YOU AWAKE? I HEARD A NOISE. I'M JUST MAKING SURE IT WASN'T YOU… ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" Sans stared down at the floor, wanting nothing more than to just disappear. It was only hours ago that he was being crushed in his brother's embrace, hoisted upon the shoulders of cheering monsters he had never met, and congratulated for every possible reason under the sun. Now? He felt lower than the grimiest corners of the trash piles Alphys spent her free time exploring. He felt himself about to choke on a sob. When would this torment end? What had he done to deserve all this?

"Y-yeah P-pap… it's okay… I… I…"

Fuck. He wracked his brain for any sort of excuse that would satisfy his brother's prying concern. He hated lying to Papyrus. He hated keeping things from him. He was Sans's best friend, as lame as that sounded, and anytime a detail couldn't be shared, it felt like a knife in his sternum.

"I dropped something."

Papyrus gave an audible grumble of disbelief, and Sans held his head in his hands. For the first time in his life, he wanted nothing more for the taller skeleton to just get lost. God, he wanted to tell him everything. He wanted to share every detail, scream it from the rooftops until he broke down and cried, but even if he somehow got him, or anyone to understand, that freak would just bring it right back to square one. Before he even realized it was happening, his eye was blazing once more, and he was sobbing so hard, big blue tears pouring out of his sockets, that he was hyperventilating.

He was lost. He was so alone, and out in the middle of nowhere. Walls seemed to build up all around him. Here he was, finally losing his damn mind. This was it. He couldn't run any longer. Everything hit him at once, and he let out a scream of anguish. If the kid wanted to show up at this moment, cut him into a million tiny pieces, and let him rot? He'd welcome them with open arms. He didn't even hear Papyrus's cries of worry. He was too far gone. It was a full scale panic attack, and not even an anchor three times his size could reel him back down now.

Unknown to the trauma unfolding on the other side of the door, Papyrus rested his skull against the wood, and knocked harder.

"S-SANS? I KNOW LATELY YOU'VE SEEMED SAD… VERY SAD… AND I UNDERSTAND YOU'VE BEEN THROUGH A LOT WITH THE HUMAN… BUT PLEASE… TALK TO ME. THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL ALWAYS LISTEN! I'M VERY WORRIED… OPEN THIS DOOR!"

Sans rocked himself back and forth, trying to get a grip. His eyes blurred, and his hands were shaking so hard, he couldn't even get them to his face to wipe his tears away. Suddenly, the door sprung open with a click, and it came to his attention that Papyrus had remembered the location of his spare key, in case of emergencies. Shit. Double shit.

He lifted his head to try and play this off, but before he could even speak, a pair of arms were hugging him close. He gasped and tried to tell Papyrus to leave him be, but all that came out was a strangled and pathetic attempt at a noise, which in turn caused him to be held tighter. He struggled, and let out another whimper, but Papyrus wasn't giving in. Not this time. Sans finally relented, and with a loud and awful sob, he clung to him like his life depended on it. He gripped the fabric of his brother's scarf so tight, he could feel it beginning to tear. Papyrus simply closed his eyes, cooing comforting noises, and stroking the smaller skeletons back, like he'd always done when Sans wasn't feeling well.

"I-I'm s-so s-s-sorry…" Sans cried, trying to cease his trembling. "I- I c-can't… you won't u-unders-stand!" Papyrus pulled him closer.

"HUSH, LAZY BONES. I TRUST YOU. EVEN IF IT IS NOT SOMETHING THE GREAT PAPYRUS CAN COMPREHEND, I STILL WISH TO BE HERE FOR YOU. I WANT TO SEE YOU HAPPY, OR AT LEAST, NOT THIS SAD."

God, had he mentioned how cool his brother was yet? Sans took him up on his offer, and rested his chin on his shoulder, crying for what seemed like hours as Pap continued to comfort him, and wipe his tears away. When he had finally calmed down enough to speak, and not shake with every simple movement, he sighed, completely drained. Papyrus sensed this, and smiled softly.

"I KNOW JUST WHAT TO GET FOR YOU! WAIT HERE…" Sans couldn't help but laugh a little as his brother went bounding downstairs. A few minutes later, a hot plate of spaghetti, and a cup of tea sat on his lap. The taller skeleton sat at the edge of the bed, a story book clutched in his gloved hands. The title "Fluffy Bunny" gazed back at him. Sans smirked. He had read Papyrus that book so many times, he could probably recite it word for word if he wanted to. Still, he decided to humor him.

"Thanks, Papyrus… you're the coolest." He seemed to light up at the praise, and waited expectantly for Sans to begin his meal. Sans started to eat, and in his honest opinion? His brother's pasta that night was the best thing he had ever tasted. He was home, safe, and for now? His paranoia couldn't get to him. He took a long sip of the hot tea as Papyrus cracked the book open, and began to read to him at once.

"THERE ONCE WAS A BUNNY WHO LIVED ALL ALONE IN THE FOREST… THIS BUNNY WAS-"

"Very fluffy." Sans finished for him, snickering as his brother visibly stiffened.

"NO! THIS IS A STORY FOR YOU TO ENJOY, BROTHER! ALLOW ME TO READ IT TO YOU!"

Sans smiled at him, and gave him an affectionate pat on the shoulder.

"I'm just pulling your leg, bro… go ahead."

Papyrus nodded, and continued to read. Sans pulled the blanket that he had been given closer, and yawned, curling up slightly as his brother's loud voice continued the story. The words began to blur together, and become nonsense as his eye's started to close, and he finally had been able to drift off to a peaceful sleep. Once he started to snore, Papyrus gazed at him lovingly, and patted his head gently.

"SLEEP WELL, SANS. TOMORROW? I'LL LET YOU REST UNTIL SIX AM… INSTEAD OF FIVE." He then switched off the light, and left the room, keeping the door open in case Sans needed him again. He was soon asleep himself, and every light in their home had been switched off for the night. The place was silent, still.

Outside, a light coating of snow began to come down, and dress the ground below. Everyone in Snowdin had retired to their homes for the night, and the streets were empty.

That was until the sound of footfalls seemed to echo in the deafening quiet that was now surrounding the little cozy town, and a figure emerged from the darkness.

A red-eyed young child, looking of about eight, stood beside a lone tree in the snow-covered fields surrounding the village. Red eyes gleaming, they smirked, climbing with ease to the highest branch, and swinging their legs under themselves playfully. A knife held in one hand, they twisted it around, loving the way the handle felt heavy, and menacing in their grasp. A golden flower let out a low snarl, and coiled itself tighter around their shoulder, vines twitching in anticipation.

 ** _"_** ** _Well, Sansy…"_** the voice that spoke was not one, but two combined, the flower's, and the child's, as one. **_"Looks like it's not game over for us just yet…."_** With one last glance at the window that Sans was sleeping beside, they were gone, their laughter echoing throughout the quiet winter air, and a single golden petal fluttering down to the snow down below.


	6. Chapter six

In the morning, Sans lay in the same spot his brother left him, his eyes closed peacefully, and his chest rising and falling. Sleep was just what he needed, as the feelings from the previous night had faded away, and for the first time in a long time, he felt alright. He rolled over, and heard Papyrus making a mess downstairs.

"SANS! BREAKFAST! YOU'RE GOING TO BE LATE TO WORK!" Sans groaned to himself, feeling totally lazy today. Hadn't fighting the human for almost six hours qualified him for a day off? However, knowing he really didn't do much at his station besides nap anyway, he figured he ought to get out of the house, show Papyrus, and his friends that he was himself again. Save them from the worry that the final battle between him and the human had changed him. He slipped on his hoodie, choked down his brother's cooking, and walked out into the snow.

Snowdin seemed awfully quiet today. He raised an eyebrow as he hadn't seen that many monsters out and about. Usually, the streets were packed, full of laughter, banter, arguments, or what have you. He brushed it off, putting his hands into his pockets, and shrugging deeper into his jacket, trying to stay warm. He waved to the monster kid as he scouted around, looking for Undyne. Sans promised to send her his way, as he happened to be looking for Undyne himself. He wanted to be sure the re-settlements had turned out alright, and that everyone had what they needed.

The few monsters that were on the street waved happily to him, and he grinned in response, continuing his journey. If he had been loved before, it was nothing compared to now. He felt happy in this new role, confident that he could protect his home, and everyone in it. He knew they felt safe among his presence, and that was a title he was more than willing to accept. He kept walking until he was almost to the end of the village, when a sudden shouting caused his attention to be caught.

"Can anyone help me? Please!?" a young voice shouted, and Sans turned around just as a small bunny looking monster hopped his way.

"Daisy? What's got your tail?" he joked, but the look on the young girl's face told him this was no laughing matter.

"M-my mom! And my brother… I c-can't find them anywhere! They've gone missing… you're the only person I could find… I haven't seen Undyne all day!"

"It's alright kiddo… I'm headed for Undyne anyway. Give me the last place ya saw em, and I'll keep an eye socket out. Once I get to her, we'll do everything we can for ya." He reassured, and daisy sighed with relief.

"Oh, thank you… you have no idea how worried I am… please keep me updated…" she hopped away to inform the other monsters, and Sans seemed to get that familiar feeling which had caused him to break down the other night. He stood still, hoping to pinpoint it.

It traveled from his right shoulder, then to his left. Up his spine, and right back down. His eye began to blaze, and his fists clenched as he expected to be attacked… but it never came. As soon as the feeling started, it passed, and watching the poor little rabbit frantically searching for her family did nothing to calm his nerves. There never seemed to be a dull moment in this world, and he sighed heavily, his chest feeling tight with worry. He had to find Undyne, and fast.

He began to run through the streets of Snowdin, too afraid to teleport, in case he missed her by mistake. Asking around, no one he seemed to see the royal guard herself either, and he began to feel worse. Something wasn't right here. After searching his hometown up and down, he quickly teleported to her house. He knocked on the door, expecting it to be thrown open any minute, but no dice. His eye sockets furrowed in confusion, but he still had one or two more places he could try.

He checked a few sentry posts in town, and as he was sticking his head into one to call her name, He was scooped up into the air by a familiar set of arms. Papyrus held him out at arms length, a disappointed scowl on his face.

"Oh, man… Pap… I'm so glad to see ya." Sans murmured, and he wasn't lying, If anyone could help in Undyne's discovery, it was her star student. Papyrus tilted his head.

"I WONDER WHY… CONSIDERING YOU'VE BEEN AVOIDING WORK ALL DAY! I SHOULD BE THE LAST PERSON YOU WANT TO SEE, LAZY BONES!" Sans groaned, and shook his head.

"No bro, listen… this is for good reason. We got two monsters missing, and Undyne is nowhere to be found. We need her… now."

The taller skeleton's face suddenly dropped, and he gasped in realization.

"THIS REALLY IS A SERIOUS MATTER… I HAVENT SEEN UNDYNE EITHER. SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE AT HER POST HOURS AGO, BUT… I FIGURED SHE WAS OFF DOING SOMETHING REALLY COOL AND IMPORTANT!"

Now _this_ caused his heart to beat faster. Slacking? Not being at your station on time? These were characteristics for someone like him… certainly not the captain of the royal guard, and one of the underground's most trusted guardians. He gazed at Papyrus with worry.

"Listen, bro… Search everywhere you can until you find her, or Daisy's family. We have to get this stuff taken care of, and Undyne will help… a lot." Pap nodded at once, and gently let him down before jogging off, and calling out for his mentor. Sans watched him go, panic in his eyes, and with a zap he was gone, deciding to check Hotland next.

"Alphys!" he yelled once he got there, standing outside the doors of the lab. "Hey, open up!"

A voice came from the speaker above the lab door, and a camera watched his every move.

"S-Sans? H-hang on…." Soon, the doors of the lab opened, and Sans stepped inside. They shut behind him, and a familiar yellow dinosaur scurried out to meet him.

"W-what's the p-problem? You s-seemed upset…" Sans sighed, rubbing the back of his skull awkwardly with his hand. This was gonna freak her out, but maybe she knew more than he did, and could help.

"Uh… long story short, we can't find Undyne anywhere… figuring you two are so close… have you seen her around at all?" Alphys made a noise of concern, and shook her head.

"Sh-she was here l-last night… r-reading up on human history…" She looked down shamefully at that part, her shelf full of anime seeming to glare her way. "B-but then she h-had to leave… g-get some work done, o-or train… I h-haven't seen her since…"

Sans's stomach sank, and he nodded.

"D-do you th-think something c-could be wrong?" she pressed, her eyes filling up with worry. Fuck. He couldn't do this right now. He cast his eyes to the floor, and shrugged.

"Honestly… I don't know… I'm gonna find out, and you'll be the first person I call… keep an eye on those cameras for me, alright?" Alphys agreed, and then proceeded to run over to her system, getting all of the channels online. He disappeared from the lab, and found himself on the same bridge that Papyrus had tried to stop the human on so many timelines ago, before relenting completely, and letting them pass in the spirit of fairness.

He laughed bitterly. Nothing about that _thing_ was fair, now… especially not in the end. They had tried to kill him with every swipe they made, and he was sure that if he hadn't ended the fight when he did, they would have gotten past him, and took their revenge on the rest of the underground. He at least had some confidence that if he was ever cut down, Undyne would be able to slow them down long enough for some monsters to escape to safety… he hoped.

Then it hit him. He wouldn't have to worry about that, anymore. The human was dead and gone, and even if fifteen more fell in right after them, nothing could have been harder than the battle he had faced. He could take on anything.

Right now? He had to find Undyne, who was probably just really busy with something for Asgore. Yeah. Asgore needed stuff all the time, right? He was a powerful guy. Stuff had to be taken care of sometimes. Daisy's mom and brother could have just gotten lost, and once Undyne was around to help, he'd have them back before supper. He began to rationalize everything in his head, and by the time he got past the bridge, and a few yards away, he started to feel better. All was well, and his concerns would soon be sent away.

That fact was suddenly confirmed as he saw the girl in question, clad in her armor, marching forward meticulously with her back to him. He heaved a sigh of relief, and all of his pervious feelings of doubt fell away. He broke into a run, and caught up with her in seconds.

"Undyne! Geez, you got everyone scared stiff…." He paused to catch his breath, and she did the same, though she didn't turn around yet. "Next time, tell your girlfriend, and someone in town that you're gonna be out? We got two monsters missing, and Papyrus climbing the walls…" he laughed a little, and she still kept her back to him, as if she hadn't heard him at all.

"Uh… Undyne? You in there? Knock knock..." He joked and winked, and her head began to turn.

That small feeling of uneasiness began to climb up his back once more, and he took a few steps away.

"Come on, dude… say something, here… you're really rattling my bones…" he cracked one of his puns, even though his hands were shaking.

The royal guard spun around, and tilted her head, as if she was examining him. Her hand materialized one of her spears, and Sans stumbled back, before his arms flailed out at his sides. He tripped over a rock, and fell into the snow on his tailbone with a thump. Her other vacant hand reached up, removing her helmet before letting it fall to the ground beside her.

He felt sick. Those eyes… they weren't Undyne's. They belonged to someone familiar, too familiar. He'd seen them before. Oh, had he seen them… every time they tried in vain to cut him to pieces.

"Wh-what the fuck!?" he exclaimed, scrambling back, trying to get up. His legs were frozen with shock, and fear.

" ** _Oh, Sansy… it's been way too long…"_** Undyne's voice snarled at him, but he knew it wasn't her speaking this way. Upon closer inspection, he noticed a few green vines poking out from under her chest plate.

Oh no…

It couldn't be…

It was…

" ** _Let's play again, okay? This time, with your good friends!"_** Undyne suddenly sent a spear straight for his skull, and he dodged in the knick of time, sending a bone right back. It hit her, and she cried out in pain, her HP dropping. He jumped, and shook his head. Shit! He didn't mean to…

" ** _Careful, buddy…_** " the voice mocked, and Sans watched in horror as the child, and the golden flower crested the hilltop above, watching with amusement. **_"We don't take the hits anymore… She does…"_**

He felt his whole world begin to spin. If with every hit, Undyne suffered, how was he supposed to set her free? More importantly, how had the kid managed to come back? How was any of this even possible? He was jolted from his thoughts as another spear hit the ground inches to his left, and his eye began to glow as he sent blasters toward the child.

Undyne stopped each one, and he wanted to scream in frustration. Undyne was a threat alright, one of the most powerful monsters in the entirety of the underground. He couldn't do this, and fight the kid again… he'd die for sure. Seeing no other options, he went running, his feet pounding on the snow as he expected to be cut down from behind. However, as he threw a look over his shoulder, he was surprised to see the child, and its new puppet staying put. He didn't give them a chance to change their mind, and kept running.

 ** _"_** ** _Run, run as fast as you can, Sansy… you won't be safe for long!"_** the voice screamed after him, and he felt his chest get tight. **_"Why don't you go and tell the underground, that their REAL savior has arrived!?"_**

Tears streamed down his face as he stumbled and fell through the snow in a frantic retreat, the echo of the child's laughter following him, and haunting every hill and field it fell across.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> our hero undyne has been taken! all questions WILL be answered... bear with me ;)


	7. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> enjoy, guys! more suspense to come ;)

He couldn’t remember how long he ran for, but eventually, his legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground, his chest heaving, and his eye glowing bright blue in a panic. There was no way in _hell_ that what he had just witnessed was real. Sure, he’d heard of the kid doing ridiculous things in the past, demonstrating their power, but this? This was beyond his reach. Mind control? Or possession? Both? Either way, if they had been trying to scare the white off of his bones, then they’d done a pretty decent job. His heart was still drumming against his rib cage, and wasn’t going to stop anytime soon.

They had gotten control of Undyne… the only monster in the history of the underground to possess determination all on her own. Her fighting was beast-like, and her will-power was legendary. Yet, she had been turned into a sick puppet. If they had taken her that easily… there was no telling what else they could be capable of. He sat back on the snowy landscape, and gazed ahead toward the direction of town.

How many more had they claimed already? What if he’d been too late? He felt his head spin, and he shut his eyes tight, trying to get a grip. He had to get back, had to warn the others, or at least save as many as he could. With a zap, he found himself in his house in Snowdin, and began a quick search for his brother. The house was empty of course, and he soon realized why. He had sent Papyrus out to find Undyne.

Oh, no…

He ran out of the house as fast as he could, and he felt panicked when he realized the streets were even more desolate than they had been this morning. He noticed a monster on the road, and jogged toward him.

“Hey, man… you gotta g-get…” he began, out of breath, when all of a sudden, he was sent flying back with a violent shove. He luckily tumbled into a soft snow poff, not having the time to dodge, and he watched in horror as the monster turned around, his head tilting, and those same vines creeping along his shoulders as he inched closer.

They had been here already… the damage was done… but how badly? Had they gotten Pap? His heart began to race once more. He quickly got to his feet. He grabbed the approaching monster with a surge of blue magic, and sent him gently to a safe distance before teleporting away. At the edge of Snowdin, he decided to continue his search. He had to get to the bottom of this. Step one, find Papyrus. Step two? Try not to lose it completely… yet.

“Papyrus!?” he called, wincing as he caught the attention of two more monsters a few yards away. They were almost like zombies, their eyes vacant, and their muzzles twisted up in a permanent glare as they stumbled and creeped forward, vines clinging tightly to their chests, legs, shoulders, even heads.

He quickened his pace, and silently prayed that Alphys hadn’t been changed as well. She was good at hiding, but Undyne was good at fighting, and he’d seen how well that turned out. As he tore through the snow, narrowly avoiding the grabbing hands and attacks of all its villagers, he began to miss the days when his old concerns were how many bottles of ketchup he could drink. Man, he’d take being apathetic every day of the week over this hell…

This was a nightmare. Everyone was trying to hurt him at once, and he felt his heart break as he spotted every single one of his friends under their hand. They all gazed at him with hatred, and murderous intent. He growled in anger. Why was the kid so determined to make him suffer? Yeah, he’d caused them RESETS, but only when they decided to make half the underground disappear. At this rate, they were pretty much even, so why keep going?

Then again, he learned not to ask so many questions. Nothing about this kid, or that flower was logical, so he was wasting his breath. He quickly crossed the old bridge, and hoped he would cut Papyrus off before he reached waterfall, or Hotland. If the kid hadn’t gotten to Alphys yet, he would bet his entire tab at Grillby’s that they were headed there next. He pulled his hoodie around himself tighter, and he entered waterfall, passing a few echo flowers on his way, hoping to get a few clues.

“UNDYNE!?” one echo flower called, and three others answered the same thing back. Sans felt his chest swell with hope. Papyrus had come through here! Maybe he wasn’t too late! He jogged forward, looking around.

“Hey, Pap!? You out here?” the flowers called back to him, and he continued on his current path. He cast his eyes up ahead, and a genuine grin split across his face as he caught sight of his brother, his wonderful, amazing, vine-free brother trying to climb the rocks beside the waterfall.

“PAPYRUS!” he called, and Papyrus hopped down from the rocks at once, spinning around, and smiling widely as he caught sight of Sans. Sans waved at him quickly, and went running toward him. Papyrus did the same, and they met in the middle.

“BROTHER! I’M SO GLAD TO SEE YOU! I THOUGHT FOR SURE YOU HAD BECOME LIKE THE OTHERS IN TOWN!” he reached down, picking Sans up into a hug. Sans returned the hold, feeling so tired, but relieved in his brother’s arms. He patted his back, and nodded.

“Figured the same happened to you too, buddy…” he made a noise of concern as he felt some cuts and bruises along Papyrus’s body. Papyrus sighed.

“I WASN’T ABLE TO REALIZE HOW DANGEROUS THEY WERE UNTIL THEY ATTACKED… I MANAGED TO ESCAPE… THANKFULLY.”

He took a seat on the ground, letting Sans down gently. He lay back against a rock with a yawn, and Sans joined him, taking a seat right beside him, and leaning against his side. He rested his head on the taller skeleton’s shoulder, and let his eyes fall closed. He too, was too exhausted to move anymore today.

“Undyne… she’s like them, Pap… they got her too…” Papyrus shut his eyes tightly, and slammed his fist into the dirt beside them with frustration. Sans reached out, holding onto his arm in a lazy display of comfort. Papyrus slumped over, resting his skull against his older brother’s.  He blinked sadly.

“WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO, BROTHER? EVERYONE WE KNOW IS… NOT THEMSELVES… UNDYNE AS WELL….”

Sans took a deep breath.

“I dunno, Pap…. I… I just don’t know…”

Papyrus looked down at him.

“IM AT LEAST GLAD THAT I HAVE YOU… YOU ALWAYS KNOW HOW TO FIX THINGS…” Sans had to resist a bitter laugh. A fine job he was doing at that, now. He settled for giving his brother’s arm a squeeze.

“I’m glad I got you too, Pal… it aint so bad when you’re with someone.”

“ESPECIALLY WHEN THAT SOMEONE IS THE GREAT PAPYRUS! NYEH HEH HEH!” he laughed, giving Sans a playful shove with his shoulder. Despite the graveness of their situation, Sans smiled. Man, he was so glad he had Papyrus in times like these. Always so optimistic, caring… he wished he could be half the monster his little brother was.

“You got that right.” He said with a wink, before staring down at his old ratty slippers. He tried to go through possible solutions in his mind, but every time he tried, he came up empty. He sighed, tracing his finger in the dust absentmindedly. He sat there quietly, leaning against his brother for what seemed like hours before Papyrus spoke again.

“WE CAN DO IT, SANS… WE CAN SAVE OUR FRIENDS!” he patted his older brother’s head reassuringly. “WE CAN DO ANYTHING WE PUT OUR MINDS TO… NOTHING CAN STOP A COOL BROTHER… WITH HIS EVEN COOLER OLDER BROTHER BACKING HIM UP!”

Sans couldn’t help but smile.

“Heh… you think so?”

Papyrus grinned.

“I _KNOW_ SO! EVERYTHING WILL BE ALRIGHT! BY THE TIME WE’RE DONE WITH THEM, THE HUMAN WILL NEVER WANT TO BOTHER US AGAIN!” He nodded to himself before a tired yawn extinguished his excitement, and he leaned back against Sans, his eyes slipping closed.

“One of these days, you’re gonna get so excited that you just fly to the barrier, and break it yourself, Pap…” Sans murmured to himself before moving closer to his earlier position. He kept his head on Papyrus’s shoulder, and closed his eyes as well. He just needed to rest a bit…

Little did he know, it would be the worst mistake he’d ever made.


	8. Chapter Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! I apologize for the long update pause... ive had a lot of shit going on this week, between set design (im a stage manager) class work, and everything else. However, im glad I was able to get this chapter out! lord save these lesbian monsters. Yes, Im a sucker for Alphys/Undyne. Do you blame me? enjoy!

He wasn't fully awake until he heard the unmistakable sounds of Papyrus screaming in fright.

"SANS!" he howled, and the small skeleton felt himself being jostled awake. He shot up with a start, but didn't realize Papyrus was leaning right over him.

CLACK!

"OW!" Papyrus yelped, rubbing his aching forehead. Sans let out a noise of agony, and rolled around on the grass, holding his head.

"Geez, bro… what's the matter? Why are you screamin like that?" Sans grumbled, rubbing the sore spot on his skull before his eye sockets came to life, and little white pupils dotted around, alarmed.

"L-LOOK…." Papyrus whined, pointing down the slope of the hidden hill they were perched atop. Sans's jaw fell open as he caught sight of what lay before them.

It looked as if the entire underground had gathered in one place. Each zombified monster, every single one under the child's control, bumped around, and muttered, searching for a purpose. They hadn't been spotted… yet.

"Oh, no…." he said as his heart sank. They were blocking the way, and Sans wasn't exactly about to march down the slope and tell them to move, either.

"ISN'T THERE A SHORTCUT?" Papyrus asked, and Sans blinked, searching for one.

"N-no… every single one I have to choose from all leads back to Snowdin… where that kid is…" His brother looked hopeless.

"THERE HAS TO BE SOMETHING WE CAN TRY! WE CANNOT REMAIN HERE!"

Sans sank down to his knees with a groan.

"Lemme try and figure this out, okay?"

They sat in silence for a long while, Sans crossing out possible ideas in his head, while Papyrus paced, and chattered to himself. All seemed to be calm, for now.

Sans was jolted from his daze when his brother let out another yelp.

This time, though? It was justified. The poor little monster kid who followed Undyne around like a little puppy had taken a hold of Papyrus's ankle, and vines had already began to creep up his leg. Sans gasped, his eye igniting. He must have wandered up here, and come upon them.

"Pap! Shhh!" he hissed, using his gravity magic to rip the child away. However, this startled the small creature, and he began to scream, loudly. Sans felt sweat roll down his temple as he glanced down the slope, and saw monster after monster begin to look up toward them, hollow eyes narrowing in anger. The monster kid smirked at him.

"S-SANS?" Papyrus asked, his eyes wide.

"Run!" Sans yelled, dropping the monster kid down the hill as gently as he could before grabbing his brother's gloved hand, and pulling him into a full sprint down the other side of the slope.

The monsters let out a few yells of protest, and at once, the pack began to give chase. Papyrus ran beside Sans, looking back every now and then to ensure they were ahead. They had a bit of distance between them and the rest of the crowd, but it was closing fast.

"THIS WAY, BROTHER!" Papyrus yelled, tugging Sans upwards toward a steep slope. "WE NEED TO GET TO HIGHER GROUND AT ONCE!" Sans huffed, and struggled to keep up. His brother was right, they needed to find some way to cut the land between them and their citizens.

As they ran quickly, there was the sound of dirt suddenly shifting. Sans realized this too late while running close to the side edge of the slope, and let out a scream of surprise as the ground fell away under his feet, and he was sent tumbling down to the rocky ledge below, slamming against the dirt wall before landing onto gray stone with a THUMP. He coughed, rolling onto his side, his eyes opening and closing as he tried to get a grip.

"SANS!" Papyrus yelled, reaching toward him, even if there was a huge distance between them now. Sans's eyes blazed to life, and he struggled to stand, his legs shaking from the sudden drop.

"No, Pap!" he called as he noticed the crowd of monsters gaining. Some had branched off, beginning to slide down the shorter end of the slope yards back, to come for him as well. "You gotta move! GO!"

"SANS, I WON'T-

Sans ignored his shouts of protest, and launched him forward a few feet with his gravity magic. Papyrus stumbled in surprise, but kept running. Sans wiped the sweat from his head, watching him go with a tired gaze, and turning back toward the approaching threat. He was about to take them on…

Until he realized their numbers had _tripled_.

He felt like he was about to have a really, really bad time.

"Oh, hell…" he grumbled, spinning around quickly, and darting for his life, struggling to stay ahead of the chasing army. Up ahead, he saw a clear area, and kept running for it, determination in his eyes. He abruptly skidded to a halt, almost falling to his doom.

The clearing gave way to a massive cliff, a gorge below stretching for miles.

Above him, he heard the sounds of Papyrus's feet skidding in the dust, and an exclamation of shock.

They were trapped.

"BROTHER!?" Papyrus called, his voice filled with fear. "WHAT…. WHAT DO WE DO!?" Sans looked ahead, his face falling into despair. His eyes darted around for any other way, but there was none. He glanced back at the approaching crowd, and back ahead. They were seconds from death.

"SANS!?" Papyrus's voice snapped him back to reality, and he let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding before looking forward with a grim expression. He had an idea. A crazy, stupid, terrible, had to work or they were goners, idea.

"Jump, Pap!" he yelled, taking a few steps back to get a running start. "You gotta jump!"

"WH-WHAT!?" Papyrus screamed. "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND? SANS, WE WONT EVER SURVIVE THE FALL!"

"We don't have to!" he yelled, concentrating as he processed something in his mind. Searching… searching… there it was. This had to be it.

"WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN? SANS? YOU'RE SCARING ME!"

"Have I ever hurt you, or steered you wrong, Papyrus!?" Sans answered, his nerves fraying as the monsters drew closer, and closer.

"N-NO…."

"Then for the love of Asgore, JUMP!" he ordered. He heard a shaky breath be let out, and he began to run as fast as he could as his brother dove from the cliff above, screaming and flailing. A hand narrowly missed his jacket as he sprinted, and he gave himself a rough shove with his gravity magic as he became airborne.

He had timed it just right, and Papyrus's panicked eyes met his. The taller skeleton fell right in front of him, and Sans flew forward, catching him around the middle, and holding to him tight. Papyrus returned the hold, and a pulse of blue engulfed them. Sans concentrated as hard as he could, and with a ZAP, they were gone.

There was a period of blackness, and static, before suddenly, the two skeletons exploded into a clearing in Hotland, tumbling and sprawling out onto the warm ground. Sans let his arms fall to his sides, his eyes going dark, and his chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath. The hot and heavy atmosphere wasn't helping matters.

Papyrus was a few feet away, on his hands and knees, breathing heavily, and looking around in shock, and fear.

"B-BROTHER? ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" He crawled over to Sans, looking at him. Sans breathed a sigh of relief.

"We survived… I c-can't believe that worked…" he murmured, thinking for sure that he and Papyrus would have perished. Papyrus smiled, and patted his skull.

"WELL DONE, SANS! I MEAN… WOWIE! THAT WAS… SO COOL!" Sans smirked a bit, the lights of his eyes slowly flickering back to life as he sat up.

"Thanks, Pap." Papyrus helped him to his feet.

"WHERE TO?"

Sans yawned a bit, and pointed ahead.

"Alphys's lab is right up ahead from here."

Papyrus scooped his brother up suddenly, and put him on his back. Sans slumped over Papyrus's shoulders, and began to snooze. Pap rolled his eyes before he continued on. It wasn't long before they stood in front of a heavy metal door, a camera staring them in the face.

Papyrus knocked loudly.

"ALPHYS!" He called. "IT'S US, PAPYRUS AND SANS! PLEASE, FRIEND… I BEG OF YOU… LET US IN."

The camera zoomed in a little, and there was a very long pause before a voice spoke up through a speaker.

"W-what's w-wrong with… S-sans?"

Papyrus smiled, bouncing him a little.

"HE'S JUST SLEEPY."

"U-uh…." Alphys hesitated, pacing within her lab, before finally caving. "O-okay…"

The heavy metal door opened, and once Papyrus had stepped in with Sans, it slammed shut again, locking down behind him.

"It's n-nice to see you guys… I… I th-thought you had been t-taken too…"

Papyrus tilted his head sadly as he saw tears forming behind the yellow monster's glasses. He gently slid his brother to the floor before kneeling down to meet Alphys's eyes.

"WHY ARE YOU CRYING?" Alphys let out a bitter chuckle, gazing down with misery.

"I… I d-don't wanna t-talk about i-it…"

"THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL ALWAYS LISTEN…"

"I… I…"

Papyrus wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders, and tears rolled down her face.

"I m-miss Undyne… s-so much…"

Papyrus was reminded of his best friend, and looked down sadly.

"IT'S OKAY, ALPHYS… I TOO, MISS UNDYNE. ID GIVE ANYTHING TO HAVE HER HERE… EVEN IF SHE WAS MAKING ME RUN A HUNDRED LAPS…"

Alphys choked on a sob, and Papyrus smiled gently, wiping her tears away.

"S-sorry…" she whimpered. "I-I'm s-such a b-baby…"

"YOU LOOK FULLY GROWN, TO ME." Papyrus offered, and Alphys gave him a nervous smile, resting her claws on his arm as a silent thank you. Sans stirred awake, and once he understood what was going on, he walked over.

"Heh… Hey? You and me, Alphys… remember? We can figure this one out…" he offered her his bony hand.

**_*There are photos of Sans, with a lot of people you don't recognize*_ **

Alphys hesitated for a long moment, before blinking her tears away, and taking hold, giving a determined squeeze.

* ** _And, one photo of you standing with Sans and all of your friends*_**

**_*He looks happy*_ **

"L-let's get started, o-old friend…" she murmured, nodding to him. Sans smiled, gazing at her with pride.

They didn't know if what they could do together would work.

But that didn't mean they weren't prepared to try.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I totally wasn't listening to the undertale main theme and tearing up as I imagined the bond that Alphys and Sans have together, not at all! who told you that? (i was)


	9. Chapter nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, all! here's what you've been waiting for... Frisk's side of the story...

Frisk hadn't endured so much psychological torture in their life.

Not even their life before this… with their abusive family, friends who longed for them to disappear, could ever, ever compare to this…

They had been such an idiot… they had no idea what they were getting into when that seemingly innocent voice asked them to try out a RESET. They had pressed down upon the option all too quickly, fearing that if they didn't stick with this world, that the life they had tried to jump to their death for would become real once more.

Now? They couldn't go back. Even if they tried, and even if they wanted to. Chara, as they learned to voice to be, had taken full control. Their determination was downright dangerous, and not even Frisk's unrelenting will to live among their friends again was enough to save them.

They hadn't realized their mistake until it was all too late.

 _"_ _NO!"_ they had screamed, struggling to get control as Chara unsheathed their knife, approaching a scared vegetoid slowly. _"STOP IT! STOP!"_ they begged, tears in their eyes as a wave of blackness overcame them, and they were shot back into check.

They had struggled and cried, knowing that this was it. They had made the worst choice they could have ever made. Their curiosity and selfish desires were now to be responsible for the wiping out of the underground. Watching strange monsters they had never met, get cut down? It tore them apart.

What they weren't ready for however, was when each one of their friends had come next.

The icing on the cake was the judgment hall, when they realized that Sans had remembered everything, and was the one who had to take the brunt of the attacks, and be responsible for saving Asgore, and their future. Chara had laughed, called him a fool, and sometimes, won. Sometimes, they lost.

Frisk had noticed that no matter what, they always RESET. They went through the world again, and again, and again, and soon, Frisk had no more tears to spare. They remained in the blackness, giving up fighting back a long time ago, and sitting, sick with guilt. This was all their fault.

They had taken their friends happiness away. They had ruined lives, and ruined them again. They had reduced Sans to a shell of who he once was. Sins on their back wasn't even the name for it at this point. It was more like a weight twice the size of them, holding down their heart, and reminding them every few seconds how much of a dirty monster they were.

The final battle, where Sans was determined to kill them for sure, Frisk had been cheering him on. Sans was their best friend, and the idea of being wiped out, taken far away from the skeleton and his family, was the best proposal they had ever hoped for. They knew one thing for certain… even if they managed to beat Chara down…

It was too late for apologies.

Chara had fought harder than Frisk had ever seen, but Sans had been prepared. He had possessed so much determination that day, to save his friends, to right the wrongs, to keep what he loved safe. At the last point, when Chara was in danger of losing their soul for good, Frisk had taken back control, and screamed in agony as Sans destroyed them. Their eyes fell closed, and they couldn't help but smile.

It was finally over. Chara wouldn't be able to hurt their friends any longer, as their host had perished.

Or so, they thought.

When Frisk had awoken again with the familiar sense of blackness hovering over them, they had screamed, cried, and begged. This couldn't have been happening. They were dead, and gone, but soon came to learn that Flowey had played a part in keeping them alive. Now, the wicked weed perched on their shoulder wherever they went, and Frisk had gazed in horror upon the damage they had done.

The underground wasn't dead… No… they were much, much worse.

They were all under Chara's command.

As the events carried on, Frisk kept a close eye on the skeleton brothers, rooting for them. Sans ended them once, he had to be able to do it again, right? They fought as hard as they could against Chara so many times, but it was never enough. They were helpless to stop this rampage.

 _"_ _Dirty brother killer…"_ echoed in their mind as they sank to their knees in despair. They were made of LV. They were a murderer….

What had they done?

* * *

Alphys and Sans stood above a table of blueprints, formulas, and ideas, all crossed out, and written over. They were both wearing lab coats, and Papyrus sat away from them, playing with his gloves, and watching in confusion. He had no idea his brother had been so involved with science. Sans felt a pang of guilt as he looked over at him. He told Pap a lot…

But he hadn't told him everything.

After a few minutes, he took a deep breath. Alphys gazed at him nervously behind her glasses. She sensed his regret, and turned away to write a new solution, giving him the time he needed. He reached into his lab coat pocket, and his eyes went wide as he felt his hand on two pieces of paper. He pulled them out gently, examining them with care. One was of him with the human, and their friends. He couldn't help but feel his eyes well up with tears.

They had gone to the surface, and Frisk had taken them there. He had become closer to them than he had to anyone. But now? They meant nothing to him. He growled, tearing it to pieces, and throwing it to the ground as Alphys studied the fragments. He wiped his eyes, moving to the other photo. He gave a genuine smile at this one, and looked up, walking toward his brother.

Papyrus looked up at him, questioningly.

"Hey, bro… ya remember anyone here?" Sans asked, presenting it to him.

In the shot, Sans was standing in the center, shorter than all the others, in his labcoat, a huge grin on his face. A taller skeleton with hollow black eyes and a mark on his face stood behind him, one hand on his shoulder, and a blue reptile looking monster stood next, his other hand holding onto Sans as well. There were two other characters present, a female rabbit with glasses, and a clipboard, and a huge dragon looking creature with goggles on, and his jaws open in a laugh.

Papyrus stared at it for a long time, before pointing to the skeleton above Sans's left side.

"HE KINDA LOOKS LIKE US…"

"That's Gaster…" Sans answered, smiling sadly. "He was the royal scientist before Alphys was…" Alphys heard this, and turned away, her eyes shutting tight.

"WHERE IS HE NOW?" Papyrus asked, and Sans was silent for a long moment.

"He was a good friend of ours… my mentor… Alphys's mentor… a brilliant monster…" he ran a bony finger over the photo. "There was a tragic accident… with the research for the CORE…. He didn't make it… I haven't been into science since…"

Papyrus rested a comforting hand on San's back.

"I-I'M SORRY, BROTHER…" Sans nodded.

"It's okay, bro… I'm sorry I wasn't totally honest with ya… speaking of which… we need to talk…" he reached down, grabbing the photo fragments he had just made. He found the one with just Frisk's face, and showed it to Pap.

"You know this one, buddy."

"THE HUMAN…" Papyrus chattered sadly. "WHY DID THEY TURN, SANS? EVERYONE CAN BE GOOD…. THEY CAN!"

Sans felt himself sigh, and he rested a hand on Papyrus's arm.

"They were, Pap…"

Papyrus raised an eyebrow.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN?"

Sans looked over at Alphys, who seemed hesitant, but nodded. Papyrus had to know eventually, and if this was the last timeline they had, they might as well make it now.

"What I'm gonna explain to you aint gonna make any sense… whatsoever… but you trust me, right?"

Papyrus nudged his shoulder with a smile in response, and Sans returned the grin before he began.

He told Papyrus everything.

The RESETS, the LOADS, the judgment hall, the burden. The guilt, the deaths, the fights, and he had come close to tears as he did. He explained the reason he was always so lazy, so apathetic, and he told him the reasons nothing ever mattered to him. The full story took almost an hour, and Alphys joined in with the listening, sitting on the lab floor quietly as Sans continued.

When it was over, Sans had gazed up at Papyrus with hopeful eyes, willing him to understand. The taller skeleton was silent for a very long time, before suddenly, Sans was being crushed in the tightest hug of his life. Papyrus began to cry into his shoulder.

Sans let his eyes fall closed, trying to comfort him.

"B-BROTHER…" Papyrus choked, sniffling. "IF WHAT YOU SAY IS TRUE… HOW DID YOU DO IT? WHY DID YOU KEEP GOING? WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME SOONER?"

"I had to keep you guys safe…" Sans murmured, holding tightly to his scarf. "Even if I did get ya to understand… that… that _freak_ could have just RESET again… back to square one. It wasn't worth it… but now? I need you to understand. You're on our team, Pap… you gotta help us all you can…"

Papyrus loosened his hold, and Sans leaned back a little bit, looking up at him.

"YOU ARENT A LAZYBONES… NOT AT ALL…" Sans laughed.

"Come on, bro. I teleport everywhere, even if it's just a few feet. I'm the laziest." Papyrus smiled, patting his skull.

"FAIR ENOUGH."

"I- h-have something t-to say…" Alphys murmured, inching forward, guilt in her eyes. "Something I-I sh-should have told y-you long ago, Sans…"

Sans watched her curiously, and Papyrus kept his brother close.

"Shoot… seems it's the time to come clean…" he joked, but his eyes were full of interest.

"The monster you're talking about… the killer…. I-it…. Its n-not Frisk…" Alphys murmured, and Sans's eyes went wide in shock.

"W-what?"

Papyrus too was curious.

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?"

Alphys pulled over the board they were drawing on, and erased it all. She grabbed a marker, and began to draw the human Sans hated so much.

"It t-took a-a lot of research… but I discovered it… th-there was no way they ch-changed their mind that often… the killer… is Chara…"

Sans's eye began to glow.

"Wh-what!? Chara? The… the first kid to fall down here? How is that even possible?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, but they're a ghost in Frisk's mind…" Alphys murmured. "Flowey… when he was still under my c-care… t-told me everything…"

"Then why didn't Frisk kill us all the first time, if Chara was always in there?"

"Because th-they gave up control wh-when they RESET… I'm not sure why they d-did it… but Chara was manipulating them. T-they still are… Sans? When you f-fight them… can you sense anything? Anything else that isn't evil?"

Sans began to think. With every fight, he always had gotten a small flicker of a second soul deep within the body of the child when he attacked. He blamed it on his mind playing tricks on him, but it suddenly hit him. Frisk… was still there? That meant that they had seen everything. They had been forced to carry out their awful actions… against their will.

"You mean to tell me that the whole time, this poor kid has been a puppet? And how in the hell are they still around?"

Alphys looked down.

"Y-yeah…"

Sans watched her intently.

"Answer my question… how is this possible?"

"Chara alone is a nightmare…. and… F-Flowey is a force n-not to be t-tampered with… b-but… t-together?"

"THERE ISN'T ANY HOPE…" Papyrus chimed in, his eyes full of fear.

"The kid's first RESET… led to all this?"

Alphys nodded.

"S-sadly…. Yes…"

Sans leaned back against his brother's sternum, and took a deep breath, his eyes falling closed. This changed everything…. What if the kid had been trying to stop? This Chara thing had caused it all… He couldn't even imagine what his old friend was going through right now.

"WHAT SHOULD WE DO NOW?" Papyrus asked, looking down at him. Sans turned his eyes to Alphys, and climbed down from his brother's hold before speaking once more.

"We figure this out. Come on… I got an idea…"

They set out to work.


End file.
